By
Hillary Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Discounted front-row tickets sell fast
UA students and other Tucsonans lined up in front of Centennial Hall yesterday eager to pay the "Rent."
"Rent," the Broadway hit making its second tour through Tucson in three years, opened last night but prime seats were still available two hours before the curtain rose, thanks to a special ticket sale put on by the show's production company.
Sixty seats in Centennial Hall's orchestra pit - the first three rows from the stage - were offered for $20 each yesterday at 5:30 p.m. Within minutes, all of the tickets were sold.
Ann Charles, along with her children David and Rebekah and their friend Tarreyn VanSlyke, had been standing in line since 1 p.m. to secure the discounted tickets.
Charles, a UAPresents season ticket holder, said that when she saw "Rent" at Centennial Hall in 1998, her season tickets placed her in the "nosebleed" section - so for this year's show, she decided to brave the masses for closer seats.
Her determination paid off, as Charles and her group were first in line.
"I love this show," said Rebekah Charles, 13. "It's, like, my favorite."
The modernized opera, a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, is also a favorite of musical theater freshman Shoshana Freisinger. Last night's performance marked the fifth time she has seen the show.
Freisinger already had tickets for tomorrow night's show, but decided to catch opening night up close and cheaper.
"This is our life, and we're going to be performing in this show someday, and that's all that matters," said Freisinger as she stood in line with her friend Lindsey Levin, also a musical theater freshman.
The pair had been in line for about an hour, and even though a chilly breeze and light rain swept through campus late in the afternoon, the women said it was worth the wait.
"We sang and danced in line to pass the time," Levin said. "You'll go to any length to see a show. That's a true musical theater fan."
After receiving her ticket, Freisinger was one step closer to the "Rent" stage. But she vowed to one day get even closer.
"Some day, we will be in this musical," she said.
"Rent" runs through Jan. 21. Seats for any of the remaining shows, which range in price from $16 to $35 for students, can be purchased by calling 621-3341.
Hillary Davis can be reached at Hillary.Davis@wildcat.arizona.edu
